APPLICATION PROCESS/ELIGIBILITY
The Housing Sign-Up Process must be completed each year with the Office of Student Life. All full time students completing the Housing Sign-Up Process will qualify for a space in campus housing; students are not permitted to move into campus housing until they are enrolled in a full time class schedule. Part time students may be allowed to live on campus on a space available basis. Non-students are not permitted to live in the residence halls; this includes the TKE and LCA Houses. All full time students living on campus are required to be on a residential meal/board plan.
Incoming students are strongly encouraged to complete the Housing Sign-Up Process by June 1st for the following academic year, although priority will be given to those who complete the Housing Sign-Up Process by the April 1st Preference Deadline. Assignments for incoming residential students cannot be made until a $200 commitment deposit has been made to the Admissions Office. Returning residential students will complete the Housing Sign-Up Process in the spring for the following academic year. Specific roommate/suitemate requests are not guaranteed, but are likely to be honored if submitted before June 1st for the upcoming academic year. Those submitting their paperwork by published deadlines are more likely to receive their housing preference. Students will only be assigned to a single room at a higher housing rate if they request it. All single room requests are subject to space and Business Office approval.
A refundable $100 housing deposit is required of all incoming residential students. It is a one-time deposit and does not need to be paid each year. Students are not eligible to move in until this deposit has been paid. Unless students have an outstanding balance on their account, this deposit will be returned to them when they leave or graduate from the institution. Outstanding balances after exiting/graduating can sometimes be due to a damage charge and/or unreturned key upon moving out.
All housing assignments are made without discrimination by reason of race, color, national origin, religion, disability or handicap, or sexual orientation.
PERIOD OF OCCUPANCY
This agreement is intended for the full academic year, unless a student is signing up mid-year or has specified on their contract that they are signing up for a specific semester. The residence halls must be occupied and vacated based on the dates issued out by the Office of Student Life. Some students are asked to move in before that date due to involvement with a specific athletic team or other club or organization. Failure to occupy an assigned room by 5pm on the first day of classes may result in assignment of the room to another student. If a student fails to occupy their designated room, or removes all of his/her belongings during the course of the semester, the assignment may be considered abandoned and could be assigned to another student.
Students who withdraw should remove their belongings and turn in their room keys within 24 hours. Students who withdraw over break should remove their belongings before the first day of classes once classes are back in session. Students who fail to remove their items within 1 week of withdrawing (or within 1 week of classes being back in session, if withdrawing over a break) will have their rooms be considered abandoned and will face cleaning charges in excess of $250 to have their rooms packed up and their items discarded.
The residence halls (and food service) are closed for Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks. Entry into the residence halls is prohibited during this time, unless approval has been granted beforehand. Students staying on campus during a break, if approved, may be charged $10/night, depending on their reason for staying.
ASSIGNMENT/REASSIGNMENT/REMOVAL
Students must occupy the room in which they are assigned. Students involved in an unauthorized room change must move back to their original room and will also be subject to a fine and/or disciplinary action.
In the event of increased housing demand, the occupancy of certain designated single and double rooms may be increased. Students in these situations will be provided with an appropriate credit for a portion of the semester’s room rate. Assignments made for increases in occupancy will receive priority for relocation to regular assignments, as vacancies occur. Temporary housing may also be used. Students will be required to vacate temporary spaces when permanent housing becomes available. The Office of Student Life reserves the right to change room assignments for any health, safety, or maintenance reason or in order to consolidate room assignments if a wing or floor is not full.
Students involved in a roommate conflict will not be granted a room switch within the first two weeks of the semester, unless there is a health/safety risk present. Unresolvable roommate conflicts may result in both students being reassigned. If a student is living in a double room without a roommate, they must accept a new roommate as assigned by the Office of Student Life, or buy out the room as a single, if space allows, before the semester begins.
The Office of Student Life reserves the right to reassign, remove, or suspend students from the residence halls for behavior and/or disciplinary reasons, with or without refund, upon direction of the Dean of Students or Judicial Board. This would include suspension or expulsion from the College.
CANCELLATION/REFUNDS
If a student qualifies to live off campus, they may submit paperwork to change their status mid-semester, with at least 1 week notice. Students qualify to live off campus if they: commute from a parent’s primary residence within 30 miles, commute from a parent’s primary residence if they are an incoming freshman who just graduated from a high school within 30 miles, have already received a bachelor’s degree, entering 5th year of college with senior status, 23 years old before the semester begins, married and/or have dependent children, hold a full time internship/student teaching position off campus, or are an incoming transfer student who has lived independently from their parents for at least 12 months (and can show a lease or other documentation of this). If approved, they are entitled to a prorated refund which is calculated based on their date of withdrawal and based on the College’s tuition and refund policy. Students may be subject to full room and board fees if it is discovered that they do not qualify to live off campus OR if they fail to submit paperwork to apply and be approved to live off campus.
If a student withdraws (voluntarily or involuntarily) from the College, they are entitled to a prorated refund which is calculated based on their date of withdrawal and based on the College’s tuition and refund policy. Students who withdraw must be moved out of the residence halls within 24 hours of withdrawing.
If a student is suspended from the College and/or the residence halls for disciplinary reasons, they may not be entitled to a refund. The student may still be financially responsible for the contract, upon discretion of the Dean of Students and/or Judicial Board. Students who are suspended from the College and/or the residence halls must be moved out of the residence halls within 24 hours of suspension.
Students who vacate the residence halls, but have not applied and/or been approved to live off campus will not be eligible for a prorated refund. Once a student has completed 60% or more of the semester, there are no refunds for room and board for any reason.
LIABILITY
The College will not be liable for the loss, damage, or theft of any property belonging to a student. The Student is responsible for obtaining insurance coverage on their personal property, if they feel it is necessary and choose to do so.
All policies and procedures concerning campus housing are outlined in the Student Handbook. All students living on campus are encouraged to read this handbook and become familiar with campus policies and procedures. Failure to comply with College policies will result in judicial action.
I HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE TERMS OUTLINED ABOVE.